


Under Deep Sky Light

by Phia



Category: Free!
Genre: 2016 Summer Olympics, E-mail, Love Letters, M/M, Pro Swimmer Matsuoka Rin, Pro Swimmer Nanase Haruka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-07 18:58:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7725997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phia/pseuds/Phia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin sends emails leading up to the Olympics. Haru sends one back.</p>
<p>For RinHaru Week and Day 4's Blue prompt — Letters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under Deep Sky Light

**Author's Note:**

> Might've got some facts wrong in here, sorry.  
> Also, this is a "build-up to the Olympics" fic.  
> Title is from the Brazilian National Anthem (according to Wikipedia.)  
> i hope you enjoy this and thank you for reading it.

**[July 1, 2016 | 12:58 A.M.]**   
  


Dear Haru,

I don’t know why I’m emailing you when we’re together  
all the time now. I don’t know why I’m emailing you  
even though we just said goodnight to each other and  
you boarded the train home.

The truth, I guess, is that I’m nervous. We’ve been  
training for so long, and to think we might not make it  
— it’s scary. I don’t even know how I’d come to terms  
with that or make sense of it. To think that I came so  
close to my dream and then it didn’t work out...

But it’s not just about me. It’s about you too and  
everyone else on that relay team. It’s about everything  
we’ve done and that we might do. It’s about the people  
at home and how we’re going to make them proud and  
I hope I’m not making you tense. I hope I’m not making  
you worry about this.

You’re going to do great and I’ll do great too, even if  
we don’t win. We’re going to be swimming in the  
 _Olympics_. It’s amazing to think about, that we got that   
far. That in itself, is an accomplishment.

I’m saying this because I know that you get worried,  
your muscles get locked up, I’ve seen you in high  
school. Well even if we get bronze or silver or nothing,  
we were there. We did great things and we’ll continue  
to do them. That’s already a pretty good story.

From,  
Rin.

 

 

**[July 3, 2016 | 10:26 P.M.]**   
  


Dear Haru,

Did you mean it? I wasn’t expecting that, I’ll be honest.  
I didn’t mind it. There was nothing wrong with it.

I just never thought that it would happen. I thought that  
it was just me. Or, if it wasn’t just me, that we would  
stay like that forever. You know, rotating around each  
other? Like planets sharing the same galaxy, but ones  
that have no chance of touching.

From,  
Rin.

 

 

**[July 5, 2016 | 1:44 P.M.]**   
  


Dear Haru,

I was too drunk to answer you last night and I woke up  
this morning with a pounding headache. But I can  
answer you now.

I think about the way you card through the water, move  
every wave aside. You always let the pool, or the ocean,  
swallow you whole. You let it consume you, every part  
of you, from your skin to what lies underneath. 

Sometimes when I see you swim, I don’t know if the  
water wants you to stay or leave. It holds on to you but  
when you twist in its grip, it lets you go.

I’ll see you tomorrow. I feel like I’ve already  
embarrassed myself enough, ha.

From,  
Rin.

 

 

**[July 9, 2016 | 11:29 P.M.]**   
  


Dear Haru,

I get what you mean about the parties. I feel like as  
long as we stick to something normal, we’ll be able to  
handle things the way we do. Nothing about this is  
_normal_ , though, but once it passes, it passes. We’ll  
have memories and we can go back. And we’ll forever  
be known as Olympic athletes. But we either win or  
lose, just like any other competition.

Next time we’re invited somewhere, we should just  
hang out together. Go out to a restaurant or something.  
That could be fun.

From,  
Rin.   
  


P.S. We could make it a date or something. If you  
want! We don’t have to, if you don’t want to.

 

 

**[July 13, 2016 | 10:17 A.M.]**  
  
  
Dear Haru,

I love the way you kiss me. 

I love when you kiss me slow. I like the way you hold  
me then. Your hands are always so soft on me, it’s  
almost like you’re not even touching me. But then I feel  
your touch, and I know. And sometimes I’m so happy  
I’m almost shaking with it. It’s almost like winning. I feel  
like I’ve just emerged from the dark water of a pool.   
And I feel all the light on me.

I love when you kiss me fast. That’s when your hands  
are surer. We clutch onto each other and when I hold   
you I think that there’s no way I’d want to let go. When  
I feel your fingers splayed against my back, I feel good  
because you want me to stay, there. And you want me  
to kiss you and keep kissing you until we have to stop.

I’ll see you tonight.

From,  
Rin.

 

 

**[July 18, 2016 | 9:19 P.M.]**  
  
  
Dear Haru,

Two days until we fly out. 

I wonder what it’s going to be like when we come back.  
I’m sure that a lot of it will be the same. We’ll see  
things the same but other people will see us differently.   
It depends on if we win or lose. People will either see  
us as disgraced athletes or just the people who tried.   
Or, if we win, the people who brought glory back.

It’s weird not swimming and I actually want to fly out  
sooner so we can get back into the water. I think that  
over the years I’ve learned to appreciate it more. Not   
just as something that ties me to my father, but to the  
earth, to outside and Nagisa, Makoto, and Rei. To the  
teams I’ve been on and the friends I’ve made, and to  
you.

Don’t forget to pack everything. He gave us a list but if  
you need help, just let me know.

From,  
Rin

 

 

**[July 22, 2016 | 7:48 A.M.]**  
  
  
Rin,

You were sleeping on the plane and I didn’t know how  
you could do that. And not just because everyone was  
being too loud, but anyone else would be wide awake.

I watched your reflection in the window this time.  
Clouds passed over your face, and blue, dark and light  
and with pink and purple. I felt your hand under mine  
and realized that I felt like I could sleep, too. I love you,   
too, and I say that because I know you feel the same.

—Haru


End file.
